>>2794201The trees are all going to grow to maximize foliage access to sun. I think what happens is that the physical/mechanical ability of a tree to 1. Hold itself up 2. Put foliage on branches 3. Spread roots 4. Pump enough water out of the ground is limited to the structural integrity of the tree's material and the amount of energy, nutrients, and water it's systems can realistically draw.
The trees are going to seek sunlight. So in most scenarios they will piddle around for decades as little understory seedlings and then explode up into a column of light when one finally opens. This gets you a tall relatively thin trunk. Once they hit the canopy they umbrella out to get as much sun as possible. As you can imagine this will make a tree more likely to break out it's top in the long run but this is a common shape. Any tree that has a fork low in the main trunk will likely have a shorter life span. Any tree that leans laterally seeking light will have a shorter life span (generally).
If a mature tree loses its top it will send up shoots because it has a large root system and not enough foliage to draw sun. The tree is seeking an equilibrium between water, nutrients, and sunlight. It has to put on more roots to grow more wood and foliage. If you damage a trees roots you need to cut back the foliage to keep equilibrium etc. I DO think there is a natural limitation to how big a tree can get because there is physically only so much water a root system can suck up and there is a realistic physical size limit to a root system just based on the ability of the material to physically suck up and transport water over spaces and distances. Likewise there is a physical limitation to how much weight a woody stem or branch can realistically hold up.
Your biggest stud trees are all going to be open sun specimens. Trees in fence rows. Trees on the edge of a wood, in yards, parks, clearings etc.
